Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is searching for his eighth MotoGP championship with Ducati in 2026, but he had the chance to win it earlier in his career.
The Spaniard pulled off one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history as he won the 2025 MotoGP title with five rounds to spare. Marquez had suffered from numerous injury setbacks with Honda after his 2020 crash at Jerez, which almost forced him into retirement.
Are we now seeing a different Marc Marquez?
Jorge Lorenzo says Marquez is no longer a ‘madman’, but rather a more precise rider and rarely makes mistakes on track. His approach with Ducati heading into 2026 is certainly different to what he had when he burst onto the scene in 2013.
The Ant of Cervera was known for his aggressive braking and being able to extract performance from his Honda even when it was not the fastest bike. Marquez won six titles between 2013 and 2019, and his former boss, Livio Suppo, has explained how he could have won a seventh.
Marc Marquez’s former Honda boss Livio Suppo says his ‘attitude’ lost him the 2015 MotoGP title
The 2015 MotoGP season is perhaps the most infamous in the sport’s history. Lorenzo beat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi to the title by five points, sparking tension within the team.
Marquez finished third, 88 points behind Lorenzo, winning five races. He suffered six retirements in 2015, with Suppo saying that he struggled with Honda’s chassis.
Speaking on the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast, Suppo, who served as Marquez’s team principal from 2013 to 2017, said that the Spaniard ‘threw away’ the title because of his attitude, and that he could have won the championship with ease today.
Asked if he got emotional watching Marquez win in 2025, he replied: “Absolutely, because it’s been something special and of course, if you know him, he’s even more special.
“I think I saw a Marc that is a different Marc from the one I was working with. For example, in 2015, he threw away the title because of his attitude, because at the beginning of the season, the chassis was not perfect.
“He had a lot of crashes, but after the Barcelona test, he felt good on the bike and could have been enough to stay more calm to win that title easily. I think actual Marc would have won that title.
“So, thank God and probably with a lot of effort, he’s been able to rebuild his body. So good job for the doctors, good job for Marc, who sure has spent a lot of time trying to be fit again. Mentally, he’s a much stronger rider.”
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How Marc Marquez reacted to Valentino Rossi’s 2015 championship accusations
Casey Stoner says Marquez ‘paid massively’ for Honda’s chassis development in 2015. Ultimately, he could not keep up with the Yamahas, but that did not stop him from causing a stir in the championship picture.
The Spaniard’s rivalry with Rossi reached boiling point that year, when the Italian sensationally accused the Honda rider of helping his teammate, Lorenzo, win the title.
Which of the current MotoGP grid would beat prime Valentino Rossi today?
Marquez was shocked by Rossi’s accusations, which ultimately had no concrete evidence. The two would come to blows at Sepang in an incident which is still talked about to this day.
The Doctor was seen to ‘kick’ out at Marquez’s bike at the penultimate corner, with the Honda rider retiring from the race. Rossi spoke with Dani Pedrosa straight after the race, accusing his teammate of deliberately forcing him wide at the turn.
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